Sport Anglers May no Longer Retain Cabezon

Cabezon Courtesy: Oregon Fish and Wildlife

(NEWPORT ) - Sport boat anglers may not retain cabezon after 11:59 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22. Fishing for other bottomfish – such as most rockfish species, lingcod and greenling – remains open.

Cabezon harvest in Oregon has been limited in recent years by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission because health of the stock is uncertain.

Landing data for the sport fishery indicates that anglers will meet the ocean boat harvest cap of 15.8 metric tons for cabezon. Anglers also reached the harvest cap in 2004 and 2005. This year, anglers were able to fish for cabezon almost six weeks longer than last year.

Sport anglers may continue to harvest other legal groundfish species, but may not retain cabezon in the saltwater boat sport fishery. Shore anglers, including shore-based divers, may still keep cabezon.

“Cabezon have an excellent survival rate when released,” said Don Bodenmiller, project leader for marine recreational groundfish fisheries for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Unlike rockfish, cabezon do not have air bladders and therefore do not suffer from barotrauma—expansion or rupture of the air bladder when the fish are brought up from deep waters—that can cause stress, injury, and sometimes death in rockfish.”

“Many anglers are wondering about the status of the black rockfish fishery, since that fishery also closed early in both 2004 and 2005,” Bodenmiller said. “Current projections show the black rockfish catch to be at or below projections. We are looking good for a full year of fishing for black rockfish and lings.”

Eight species of groundfish caught by anglers in Oregon waters are managed using harvest caps – four imposed by the federal government and four state-imposed caps.